William Hawrelak Park Rehabilitation Project

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William Hawrelak Park is a 68-hectare park in the river valley featuring a 5-hectare lake and open grassy areas. The park hosts several major festivals and events throughout the year and is a great location for all Edmontonians and visitors to explore and enjoy.

The City is looking to develop a 10-year rehabilitation plan to ensure the park continues to serve the recreational and event needs of Edmontonians. This plan will address the aging park infrastructure that requires repair, replacement or upgrades.

Project Timeline

2018
Development of Hawrelak Park Rehabilitation Plan (Concept)

2019-2020

Design of Phase 1 priorities from the Rehabilitation Plan (dependant on funding)

2020-2022

Build of Phase 1 priorities (dependant on funding)

2023-2026

Design and build of additional phases (dependant on funding)

Project Overview

Edmonton is a growing city with infrastructure dating back 30 or more years. The City of Edmonton prioritizes rehabilitation of aging buildings and parks to ensure they will serve Edmontonians now and for years to come.

William Hawrelak Park is one of the most popular parks in Edmonton. This park has been identified as a priority for addressing the aging park infrastructure. Rehabilitation refers to the need for repair, replacement and/or upgrades in order to meet current and future demands. This project will develop a 10-year rehabilitation plan that defines a phased approach to address the existing infrastructure within the park.

The rehabilitation plan will consider the physical condition of the assets, the current policies that are in effect and the operational requirements to maintain and sustain the park. Other important elements are how the park functions, how it is currently used and how it will be used in the future. Public engagement will gather this information from spontaneous users as well as festival and event groups.

Project Update

Development of the William Hawrelak park rehabilitation plan is underway with the initial phase of the physical and functional assessments of the park complete.

To evaluate the physical condition, assess the useful life of the assets and inform the long term rehabilitation and maintenance planning for the park, a condition assessment of all assets including trees, facilities, roadways, paths, utilities and park fixtures and furniture was completed.

In order to understand how through rehabilitation the functionality of the park could be improved, various user groups and citizens were asked to share their feedback and perspectives through online surveys, focus groups, intercept and drop-box surveys at the park and a neighbourhood in-person event. The information gathered informs the rehabilitation plan by providing a greater understanding of how the park is currently used and how it could better support programs and services, safety and security and access and circulation for years to come.

The next phase of the project includes establishing priorities for the renewal of the park and developing an implementation plan including phasing options, costing and a schedule.